Snap-hook.



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD W. HUBBARD, OF ASHTABULA, OHIO.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,875, dated March 31, 1903. application filed July 7, 1902. Serial No. 114,603. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. H UBBARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashtabula, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snap-Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in snap-hooks; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimprovedsnap-hook; Fig. 2, a longitudinal central section of the same; Fig. 3, an inverted plan view, partly in section; and Fig. 4, a transverse section taken in the plane indicated bythe broken line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the several views of the drawings, referring to which A is the body of the improved snap-hook, which is preferably made of a single piece of wire, as shown, and comprises a shank a, a hook proper, b, at one end of the shank, provided with an eye c, and an eye d at the opposite end of the shank, designed for the connection of a strap or the like. In the formation of the said body the piece of Wire is looped and bent to form the hook proper, b, and the shank a is formed of parallel portions of the said piece of wire, which parallel portions-are deliected outwardly, as indicated bye, so as to form an opening f between them at a point below and coincident with the eye c of the hook proper. The eye d is formed by the end portions of the piece of wire, and the said end portions are by preference surrounded and joined by a barrel g, of sheet metal.

Bis a sheet-metal sleeve, preferably of rectangular form in cross-section, which surrounds the shank a between the deflections e and eye CZ and is held against endwise movement by said deflections and eye, and C is a tongue which normally rests in the eye c and closes the hook. The said tongue is formed of a single piece of spring metal and terminates at one end in a straight flat portion h,

is held against rearward movement.

which is interposed between one of the horizontal walls. of the sleeve B and one side of the shank a and has its forward end c reduced and bent into the openingfbetween the portions of wire forming said shank, whereby it Atits oppositeA and movable end, which normally rests in the eye c of the hook proper, the tongue has the rounded portion 7c and the depending portion Z, the former being designed to enable a ring or the like to ride over the tongue and into the hook proper, b, and the latter having for its purpose to retain the ring in the hook proper. Y

The tongue C may be formed of a piece of metal of circular form in cross-section and `its flat portion h produced by hammering said piece of metal or subjecting it to pressure without involving a departure from the scope of myinvention. I prefer, however, to make the tongue of a piece of flat spring metal and to form its depending portion Z by curling or bending the iiat'metal around a core m, of wire or the like, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this in order to lend rigidity and strength to said depending portion and enable it to better retain a ring or the like in the hook proper and prevent said ring from moving back to a position between the tongue and the shank a of body A, where any sudden strain placed upon the ring would be liable to break the tongue. Said dependingportionlof the tongue is disposed and adapted to move in the opening f, formed between the shank portions of the Wire forming the body, and hence lateral deiiection or movement of the tongue incident to its movements toward and from the eye c of the hook proper is precluded.

It will be appreciated from thev foregoing that the tongue C will give readily to pressure or pull when a ring or the like is drawn into the hook proper and will promptly close the hook proper subsequent to the passage of the ring and preclude the casual disengagement of the ring therefrom; also, that the connection of the tongue C to the body Ais very strong and durable, and hence well calculated to withstand the shocks and strains to which snap hooks are ordinarily subjected.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In a snap-hook, the combination of a body comprising a shank formed of parallel portions of wire having lateral deliections e whereby an opening f is formed between them, a hook proper at one end of the shank, having an eye, and an eye at the opposite end of the shank, a metallic sleeve surrounding the shank, and interposed between the eye at one end thereof and the deections e, and a spring-tongue having an end portion interposed and secured between the sleeve and shank, and also having the rounded portion Zt and the depending portion Z; said depending portion Z being disposed and adapted to move in the openingfot the body.

2. In a snap-hook, the combination of a body comprising a shank formed of parallel portions of wire having lateral deiections e whereby 'an opening f is formed between them, a hook proper at one end of the shank, having an eye, and an eye at the opposite end ofthe shank, a metallic Sleeve of rectangular form in cross-section surrounding the shank, and interposed between vthe eye at one end thereof and the deeetions e, and a tongue of flat spring metal having an end portion interposed between the shank of the body and one wall of the sleeve and terminating in a reduced end bent into the openingf, and also having the rounded portion 7c and the dependingportion Z; said depending portion having a core of wire, and being disposed and adapted to move in the opening f of the body.

3. In a snap-hook, the combination of a body comprising a shank formed of parallel portions of wire having lateral defieetions e. whereby an opening f is formed between them, a hook proper at one end of the shank, and an eye at the opposite end of the shank, a metallic sleeve surrounding the shank, between the eye at one end thereof and the de- (iections e, and a spring-metal tongue having a fiattened end portion interposed and secured between the shank of the body and the sleeve, and also having a rounded portion adapted to bear against the hook proper, and a depending portion disposed and adapted to move in the opening j" of the body.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD W. HUBBARD.

Witnesses:

H. C. BIERCE, E. C. HUBBARD. 

